Superkül Completes Canada’s First Active House

BY Diane Chan, Azure
November 13, 2013

In a rural field in Thorold, Ontario, a city on the outskirts of Niagara with a population of roughly 18,000, sits a small row of contemporary prefab houses. This is Rolling Meadows, the beginnings of a subdivision by Toronto developer Great Gulf Group. And its latest addition – the Active House – offers a sustainable twist on the single-family home. Great Gulf invited Toronto eco-firm Superkül to design this model unit based on a concept devised by the Active House Alliance in Brussels, an initiative promoted by Danish window manufacturer Velux. “They liked our single-family homes, which they felt were in line with what they were trying to achieve,” says Superkül principal Andre D’Elia. The firm’s projects, including the +House, similarly bring in lots of natural light, are sustainable, and make a connection with the landscape. More …

Energy Efficiency Courses Full

The Know The Code? Courses on New Energy Efficiency Regulations, being held at the AIBC on November 26 and 27, 2013, have now sold out. However, additional sessions are taking place in early December through the Illuminating Engineering Society of British Columbia (http://www.iesbc.org/event-registration-list?archived=0). Please note that while the AIBC supports these sessions and has made its space available for hosting some of them, the sessions themselves are being offered through the BC Building & Safety Standard Branch. Some AIBC members have enquired as to whether any additional sessions are anticipated for Vancouver Island and the B.C. Interior. At this time there is nothing planned. However, the AIBC has passed along these requests and will keep you advised.

Canadian Society for Marketing Professional Services

What’s Your Value Proposition?

A value proposition is an essential tool that forces you to look both internally and externally in crafting a statement that is actionable by you and your firm, while being credible and compelling to your target audience. In this session, participants will learn how professional service providers can best describe what they do so that the value is highlighted and people want to know more. The seminar takes place Wednesday, November 20,2013, 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel, 791 West Georgia Street, Vancouver. The cost is $85 ($70 for CSMPS members), breakfast included. Pre-registration is required. Go to http://www.csmps.com/eventreg.html.

1.5 Non-core LUs

New Registered Educational Provider: Canadian Precast / Prestressed Concrete Institute

Members of the Canadian Precast / Prestreesed Concrete Institute (CPCI) supply architectural and structural precast concrete elements fabricated and certified in accordance with CSA Standard A23.4 “Precast Concrete Materials and Construction”. CPCI includes 31 members spread across 45 plants throughout Canada. Learn more about this and all AIBC Registered Educational Providers by clicking here.

New Registered Educational Provider: Vitrum Glass Group

Since its inception in 1997, Vitrum has offered a wide selection of architectural glass products. Today, it is the largest glass fabricator in the Pacific Northwest, offering more than 500 glass types and combinations. Learn more about this and all AIBC Registered Educational Providers by clicking here.

Canadian Passive House Institute

Full Course in Passive House Design & Construction (Victoria)

This intensive six-day course is aimed at architects, engineers, contractors, planners, design professionals, advanced students and others who are motivated to learn how to build to the world’s most advanced and ecological construction standard – the Passive House. In addition to the essential principles and criteria for Passive House design, participants will learn about building envelope considerations; construction solutions; thermal bridging; heating, cooling and ventilations systems; and the economics of this advanced construction technique. Case studies will be included. It takes place Thursday to Saturday over two weeks (December 5-7 and December 12-14, 2013) at Victoria City Hall. A registration fee of $1,550 + tax includes all training materials, lunches each day plus coffee and snacks. However, it does not include the PHPP software package, which is required for the course. Organizations registering two or more persons qualify for a 20% discount on the second registration. For more details and to register, click here.

36 Core LUs